GREEN BAY, Wis. (NBC 26) — When he thinks of The Exclusive Company in Green Bay, Dave Fisher looks back at the days new records were released.
"When the lines were out beyond the store winding through here like a snake, kind of like a 75-foot anaconda," he said.
Terrance Mapes recalls taking his family to the shop.
"I'd bring my kids here when they were little," he said. "I'd bring my grandkids here when they were small."
And some of 34-year store manager Tom Smith's best moments came when Packers stars walked in the door.
"Reggie White came in and he brought up a stack of CDs like this," he said while holding his hands wide. "And we told him that we'd been preparing for him and he was very appreciative of it."
Now, there's limited time to make more memories as The Exclusive Company announced it's closing all stores. The news comes after the sudden death of founder James Giombetti, who started up in West Bend.
"He opened his second store in Oshkosh in '57," Smith said. "Appleton came in '83. We came in '85."
At one point, there were 11 locations statewide. Smith says the Green Bay shop was another record store before 1985.
"It's kind of a double-whammy for some of our customers," he said. "Some of customers were literally customers here and also at Pipe Dreams."
The company says some locations will continue under new ownership. That's the case in West Bend.
"Some customers of that location bought the inventory and retained their manager and staff and they are now a separate entity not part of The Exclusive Company," Smith said.
Over the years, many Wisconsinites remember thousands of iconic radio ads with the classic 'say it with me' line.
And come July, customers will say it for the last time.
"It's the end of a half-century of this being the central location for music in Green Bay," Mapes said.
For decades, Mapes has visited at least twice a week.
"I've been coming here probably for 45 years," he said. "There are quite a few people wondering 'what are we gonna do?' I don't know. ... There isn't a light at the end of the tunnel. There isn't a good side to this, at least not for the customers and not for the employees and staff."
Fisher feels a similar way. He too has been coming for decades.
"This has stood the test of time, so it's a sad day," Fisher said.
Customers say they'll miss the social aspect the most, talking with some of the experienced employees.
"It's like not only going shopping, but it's like coming to visit a friend," Fisher said. "So I'll probably miss that as much as coming here to purchase music.'
"It's more than just a record store," Mapes said. "It's a community."
According to the manager, the Green Bay store itself will probably shut its doors in mid-July.
"I'm gonna miss it," Fisher said.
